Meat Info

Naturally Raised Meats

Thanks for your interest in our ranch.

A little about our ranch and how we raise the animals:

On our ranch we use holistic rangeland management practices which provides us good soil and in turn good grass. We utilize organic practices but we are not currently “certified” organic due to costs of the process. All of our animals are free of hormones and antibiotics. This is the same meat that my family eats, so I want to raise the best and healthiest.

Our ranch is small so we practice intensive rotational grazing methods, utilizing portable electric fence, moving the cattle every few days. The cattle are followed a few days later by our poultry who help spread the manure and eat the bugs, grubs, and sprouts.

Beef

We raise two types of beef: All Natural Grass Fed w/ Grain Finish and 100% Grass Fed and Finished.

The majority of the beef we raise is grass fed but not 100% grass finished: It’s a fine balance, but we’ve found out what works well… Here’s what we do:

-The steers are always on grass which gives the meat the healthy Omega fatty acids. While they are growing, they are on native, dry land grass

-When the steers reach approx 1000lbs, we move them to irrigated paddocks where we transition them to a finishing diet

-For the last 90-120 days, we keep the steers on irrigated grasses and slowly add in fermented rolled barley and forage hay. This develops marbling in the meat for a superior finished product.

All of our steers, hay and grain come within 30 miles of our ranch. This reduces allergens that may add stress to the cattle.

We never use force when moving our cattle from pasture to pasture, we actually train them to follow us by ringing a bell (once again, no stress).Our steers are humanly harvested in the field that they live. The last thing they see is the small pile of hay they are eating. No stress, No fear.

The beef is aged for about 27 days at a trustworthy USDA butcher that I have used since high school.

Our next beef will be available in late early Fall (September/October). Hard to give a specific date because we don’t “push” our animals to meet a specific harvest date. This allows each animal to grow to it’s fullest potential. Smaller frame animals seem to finish sooner than larger frame ones.

I guess you could consider the purchase of our beef as a CSA. The customer purchases either a 1/4, 1/2, or whole steer. The minimum order is 1/4 of a steer. I raise the animal for you and arrange field harvest, butcher, and delivery. The customer pays per pound on the finished product delivered which includes butchering and delivery. Bones and some organs are available upon request.

A 1/4 of beef is approx 85-100+ lbs of standard cuts. I will never charge the customer for anything over 100 lbs. This allows them to know what the maximum cost will possible be. (example: if your 1/4 of the steer produces 110 lbs, you will only be charged the maximum of 100 lbs). This guarantees that I don’t overgrow the animal for extra profit, which would give you fatty meat. I believe this keeps the process honest.

A 1/2 of beef is approx 170-200+ lbs of custom cuts. Once again, I won’t charge over 200 lbs. With the purchase of 1/2 a steer, you get to choose your own custom cuts of meat from the butcher. Basically, you own one side of the animal, which allows you to increase the thickness of your steaks, etc. If you only want 1/4 but you also want custom cuts, you are more than welcome to team up with another customer and split a 1/2. (Hopefully that makes sense)

A whole beef is approx 340-400+ lbs of custom raised and custom cut beef. Basically, you own the whole steer and I will raise it to your specs. Examples: 100% grass fed or finished out on dried sugar beet pulp, etc.

Our grass fed/grain finished beef is currently priced at $12/lb.

If you’re interested in 100% grass fed and finished beef, that will be approx $14/lb. (The higher price would be due to having to share a coastal lease where there is a better year round grass crop)

If the bulk quantities are too large for you, we can partner you up with another customer to split. We can also explore the possibility of doing a smaller custom package.

Pork

Our hogs are raised in a similar way as our cattle. They are raised humanly, free of antibiotics and hormones. We start by selecting our hogs from a local breeder. He breeds his animals with great genetics to produce an animal who produces great pork in an efficient manner.

Hogs in general are very strong and mischievous animals, who will escape the farm if given the chance. Because of this, our hogs are kept in a little more confinement than our cattle. I use the word “confinement” cautiously because they are not in a small pen, but rather a fortified pasture where they have access to sunshine, dirt, shelter, and even a wallow to roll in. They always have access to fresh water and feed.

Our hogs are feed a mixture of roots and greens. They are supplemented with a commercial feed that is milled locally from grain grown in our area. This supplemented feed helps balance out the hogs diet, ensuring it is growing as healthy as possible. During the peak growing period (months 2-5) the hog is feed a higher protein diet to develop muscle. During the “finishing” period, the hog is fed a higher carbohydrate diet in order to produce a good layer of healthy fat.

The hogs are harvested in a similar method to how we do our cattle, humanly and clean. There is no aging time for pork, so the meat is usually ready within a week or two of going to the butcher. Sometimes there is a time lag for smoking the ham and bacon.

The minimum buy in for pork is 1/2 a hog. Similar to the beef, you are only charged for what you receive. This includes field harvest, butchering, and delivery. 1/2 a hog generally produces about 65-75 lbs of pork.

Our pork is currently priced at $8/lb.

Poultry

All of our meat chickens, egg layers, and turkeys are 100% free range. They are also free of any antibiotics and hormones. Every morning the birds are let out to run the property and eat bugs and sprouts. They are supplemented with grain, sprouted grain (fodder), and a locally milled growing blend of grains. This is the perfect formula for a healthy and happy bird.

Because of regulations, all of our meat chickens and turkeys are taken to a USDA inspected butcher. The birds are harvested, packed in a high quality packaging, and frozen for delivery.

The meat chickens will be available in mid August and Turkeys will be ready mid November.

We grow the poultry to the customer’s specifications, so weights and price will vary, but they average in price from $6-8/lb.

These prices include delivery to meeting spots throughout California. Shipping may be available to Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon for an additional fee.

Hopefully this info is useful and answers most of your questions. Please let me know if you need any more info. I’m always available via email, phone, or text. I can be reached at 805-504-6189.